Why are citizens giving up Kosovo's citizenship?

From the Ministry of Internal Affairs tells Kosovo that only from the January 1st to November 30th, 2024, 1,000 291 citizens have given up their citizenship.

According to MPB data, 17 thousand and 752 citizens have renounced Kosovo's citizenship between 2020 and 2024.

The number of citizens who have given up citizenship from January 1st to November 30th 2024 is 1 thousand 291. The number of citizens who gave up citizenship in 2023, however, was 33,000 and 98. The reason people give up their citizenship in the Republic of Kosovo is because many European Union states do not allow two citizenships, including some states that are not part of the European Union. Given that a large number of our citizens have been living for years in these countries, and a large number have even been born in these countries, they have acquired citizenship rights and are obliged to be set free from their previous citizenship in case they want to gain that country's citizenship. So the main reason is the ban on citizenship in many countries”, it says in writing response from MPB.

Sociologist Genc Xrxa, in a proposal for Kosova Prees, says this phenomenon is not a good signal for Kosovo because it affects the total population.

He stresses that visa liberalisation may be one of the reasons why there has been a decline in the number of citizens who have given up citizenship.

“Arsyet is also as conditionally the same, but now we have a decline in Kosovo's citizenship. It may also be due to the liberalisation that has made movement within different countries more accessible or more likely, whether European or other. Then the reasons may be different. Some countries allow only one citizenship. If they live for years and are integrated into those societies then the question comes that they keep one, then in most cases they give up on Kosovo. Then there are also those born there, have children or, besides them, these Kosovo citizens were put on offer to accept citizenship, and in some cases they even give up on Kosovo's citizenship that for our Kosovo society is not a good signal because it affects the total number of Kosovo's own population or citizens of the state of Kosovo”, Xrxa says.

In addition, Xrxa mentions unfriendly living conditions as a cause that could lead to the removal of citizenship.

That's not a thousand and 300. Another factor is the conditions, a hope for all Kosovo citizens, starting for all categories for youth, perhaps the most destructive part. Then another life, a better welfare. Perhaps it would have made people think a little bit about giving up Kosovo's citizenship. But, given the same time that they do not have a very good perspective within the state of Kosovo, then they decide to obtain citizenship from any other country, especially the European state... According to some media references from Kosovo's independence from 2008 to 2023, it is thought that they have renounced Kosovo's citizenship of 57 thousand 155 persons”, potential Xerxa.

Meanwhile, economics expert Mustaf Kadrijaj sees this phenomenon as a poor image of Kosovo. He says that apart from the social and demographic aspect, giving up citizenship also affects making economies.

Kadrijaj points out that this reflects also on reducing consumption, which mentions that business stays in the market with consumption.

The “is a poor image for the state of Kosovo, because when citizens give up their citizenship it is seen that those citizens have not seen themselves and their prospect of remaining citizens of Kosovo. They've seen something better and becoming citizens of another country that unfortunately we know that the level of residents we have 1 million and 600 thousand, if we start with this kind of trend, this will shrink. The Republic of Kosovo on the part of residents, which should be a concern for the state and the Kosovo government. It also has demographic impact. It's a social problem. There's also a problem with the part of the economy because minus a thousand and 200 citizens feed and do their activity and their living and economic perspective outside Kosovo. It actually hurts him the economy. There's no consumption either, because business stays in the market with consumption. In this regard there is a concern, but that the final word has relevant institutions that need to take action in this direction”, says Kadrijaj.

“in 2020 has been released from the citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo -- 3.633. In 2021 the Republic of Kosovo was released from citizenship -- 4,938. In 2022 the Republic of Kosovo was released from citizenship -- 4,792. The number of citizens who gave up their citizenship in 2023 was 3,000 and 98. As to the question of what municipalities of the RKS are from, we inform you that these statistics are not available to”, said the MPB's response to KosovaPress.

According to reports, Germany is the country with mostly citizens from Kosovo. In June 2024, this country adopted a new citizenship law that allows for multiple citizenship for all immigrants.